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Subway Series: Yankees vs. Mets Back In The New York Groove

Posted by on 20 May 2011, 3:34 am

Branded as the Big Apple and the Capital of the World, New York City is undeniably a very extraordinary place.

As a real New Yorker (born in Manhattan), I can say that when it comes to our city’s pro-sports teams it would be a challenge to find a more prideful and demanding bunch of fans.

New York fans have earned a reputation for a win or get-off the pot attitude, which has made our sports teams less popular everywhere else.

So, when two New York teams face-off, like the Mets and Yankees will in the Subway Series this weekend, it is a fight for the city’s pride.

Here is a little “New York Groove” slideshow of random Yankee pictures, by ladylove pinstripes.com….enjoy!

The victor of this three game set get to gloat because the Empire State Building will adorn the colors of that team for all to see.

For a Mets fan, winning the Subway Series provides the last shred of superiority over the big, bad and successful Yankees.

The Yankees have owned the NYC for over a decade, but that comes with as many haters as it does fans. That doesn’t mean that winning the Subway Series is not a meaningful because it is not just another series.

Someone just said to me that it is another b-l-e-e-p for the Yankees to add to their ever-growing list of successes, but as a New Yorker when your team wins you get to walk with your head a little higher come Monday morning.

As the Yankees return to the Bronx after winning three of four games on the road, they are feeling pretty confident as they prepare to host their cross-town rivals from Queens.

With bragging rights up for grabs, everyone in New York will be busting out their caps, t-shirts and jerseys with their loyalty proudly on full-display.

Even though the Yankees have a much better team on paper, the 2011 Mets are finally heading in the right direction after years of going backwards.

Mets fans know they have a good team; with an inspiriting new skipper and a GM who is determined to get the franchise back to the top.

The Subway Series’ are never short on drama, and if you want to see New York’s spirit at its peak going to the Subway Series is a darn good example of it.

There is a reason the New York Times referred to the Subway Series as “George Steinbrenner’s personal World Series.”

Pitching previews to follow…..

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New York Yankees: You Can’t Always Get What You Want, But You Can Win

Posted by on 10 January 2011, 2:28 pm

“No” is not a familiar word heard in the New York Yankees front office.

General manager Brian Cashman has the resources to woo players to come play in the Bronx, so what happened this offseason?

It has to be expected that the Yankees sans Mr. George Steinbrenner lost a little bit of their appeal.

Not many owners possess the passion and fire that the Boss displayed. Even the negative stories about how he was a tyrant with unreal expectations were equalized by his never-ending willingness to help.

So, what the heck happened to the Yankees missing out on Cliff Lee and not signing any top free agent? Why is Andy Pettitte so hesitant to commit?

In my opinion, the unmistakable absence of Mr. Steinbrenner is what is crippling the Yankees.

Imagine yourself as a player who the Yankees wanted in pinstripes while Mr. Steinbrenner was the principal owner. Hence, Mr. Steinbrenner thought that the Yankees needed to acquire you to win. Figuring out how to get a player was never the problem; it was just a matter of when, because the Boss would go to any extreme. Continue reading ‘New York Yankees: You Can’t Always Get What You Want, But You Can Win’ »

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MLB Hot Stove: Jeter Negotiations Make Yankee Fans Miss “The Boss”

Posted by on 6 December 2010, 10:42 am

My hometown is a small island known as New York City.

Numerous pro-sports teams bear the words New York on their jerseys.

Fans and players alike wear their respective team’s apparel with such pride.

No matter the number or name, or whether it’s game-green or pinstriped, they all represent the same special place.

This is why the last few weeks have been so tough, as the talk turned to obsession regarding New York Yankees captain Derek Jeter.

Jeter was the talk of the town, which is no easy feat in the Big Apple, and not necessarily something you want to go through.

It’s a city of ego, making jealousy an easy path to choose and Jeter isn’t so hard to envy.

With a resume consisting of professional athlete, Yankee captain, not hard on the eyes, easy-going, polite, five-time world champ and an endorsement list that rivals Michael Jordan—who named a sneaker in his honor—caused New Yorkers to get nasty.

Other than Jeter’s desperate need for an off-the-field stylist, try and find me a guy who wouldn’t want to be Derek Jeter for a day, because he is living the dream.

Looking back on Jeter’s contract negotiations, the emotions were not so jealously driven as much as I felt betrayed.

Baseball is a business, but the players are still people. Continue reading ‘MLB Hot Stove: Jeter Negotiations Make Yankee Fans Miss “The Boss”’ »

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2010 ALCS Game 3: Time For Yankees Fans To Step It Up In The Bronx

Posted by on 17 October 2010, 12:41 am

The 2010 ALCS is tied at one game apiece.

The New York Yankees couldn’t muster together another comeback win last night and the Texas Rangers won 7-2.

Phil Hughes followed in CC Sabathia’s footsteps with another not-so-great performance from a Yankees starter. They’re human, just like the rest of us, and nobody is perfect.

The postseason isn’t built for chances or mistakes.

The Rangers have Cliff Lee on starting Game 3 on Monday night. This gives Texas the clear advantage considering Lee’s history with Yankees and in the postseason.

The Yankees are at home with Southpaw Andy Pettitte on the mound. Andy is a phenomenal, but one earned run might be all the Rangers need if Lee brings his A-game to the Bronx.

The game is in New York, which means Yankee Stadium needs to be louder than ever. As a person who will be in attendance Monday night, I hate imagining a silent stadium because the Yankees need their fans more than ever.

Lee is a shutdown, nine-inning pitcher, but the Yankees bats can get him but not alone. It’s time to help out our beloved Yankees by cheering like hell until the last out.

This team plays hard to win for New York every game and admittedly, I cannot say the same for the Yankees fans.

It’s time for us to get over the high expectations because the players have exceeded those for years. No more bitching about a player’s performance because so-and-so makes 200 trillion dollars, or how Joe Girardi doesn’t know what he is doing; not going to help, not this Monday night.

Andy Pettitte is pretty darn good himself in the postseason. Pettitte deserves Yankee Stadium to be rocking like never before because this is supposedly the Southpaw’s last year in pinstripes.

Let’s give back what Pettitte, the Yankees and most importantly Mr. George Steinbrenner have given us, the fans, too many times to count…A WIN!

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ALCS 2010: Will Texas Rangers Cliff Lee Give Or Get A Bronx Bombing?

Posted by on 13 October 2010, 10:57 am

The moment the Texas Rangers‘ Cliff Lee hurled his last strike Tuesday night; he not only killed the Tampa Bay Rays‘ postseason dreams, but also gave the New York Yankees an official ALCS opponent for Game One on Friday night.

The Yankees will fly down to Texas to face the Rangers in the seven-game ALCS series, which for one team will lead to the World Series.

In all honesty, predictions were betting the Rays would beat the Rangers in the ALDS, but in a five-game series, there is no room to stumble.

The Rays didn’t start playing up to their ability until Game Three, and by the time Tampa caught up, it was Cliff Lee time in the deciding game.

Cy Young winner and certified bad-ass Cliff Lee is no stranger to pressure, especially in the postseason. Watching Lee’s postseason career is literally watching baseball history in the making.

In seven starts, Lee posts a 1.44 ERA, allowing nine earned runs, six walks, striking out 54 hitters and giving up just one home run over 56.1 innings.

Three of those seven wins were complete games; the last was this past Tuesday night to beat the Rays and lead the Rangers to the ALCS for the first time.

Except for changing uniforms like it’s Halloween in the Bronx, Lee and his famous left arm are no stranger to the Yankees. Neither are Yankees fans, who will get to see Lee in the Yankees’ first ALCS home game next Monday night, the third of the series.

If recent history can predict any game’s outcome, this would be it. Lee is the dictator when he starts; if he wants to win, he does.

The Yankees have shown signs of getting to Lee in the past with some success, but not in 2010 and certainly not in the postseason, which was witnessed in the 2009 World Series when Lee was a Philadelphia Phillie.

The Yankees are by no means underdogs in this series against the Rangers, except any game Lee pitches because the Bombers are at his mercy, but this time things will be different.

Overall, the Yankees have the better team; way more experience and are beyond determined to repeat.

Not just for the players’ own egos because the team owes someone else another World Series title, to say the least.

Mr. George Steinbrenner, known as the Boss, would not have it any other way and neither would his Yankees.

So, bring on the Rangers and Cliff Lee, because it’s time for the Yankees to show the Rangers how champions play.

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Underestimating Underdogs: New York Yankees Beat Minnesota Twins Again

Posted by on 8 October 2010, 2:55 am

Before the start of the 2010 ALDS, the state of the New York Yankees went as follows:

Fact…. the New York Yankees are looking old.

Fact…. the Yankees played awful baseball in September. Finishing the month with a 12-15 record and playing under .500 baseball for the first time since April 2008. They lost 7 of they’re last 10 games.

Fact…. the Yankees starting pitching was in shambles at end of regular season, while the hitters were becoming pros at stranding runners on base.

Fact…. the majority of sports media deemed the Yankees the underdogs, while predicting that losing would be they’re ultimate fate.

All of the above are legitimate statements. Both haters and lifelong fans pounce on any weakness displayed by the Bombers, myself included

Coming in, as the Wild Card team is not the usual entrance the Yankees make into the postseason.

Thanks to ESPN for repeatedly reminding viewers that the franchise has never made it past the ALDS as the wild card team. That stat is spanning over so many decades it started sounding desperate.

Still, some day’s it seems like Yankees fans hate losing more then the Yankees themselves. Rest assured the players like the over-criticism from their beloved fans. It is the only way the players would have it.

As far as the ALDS, so far so good for the Yankees, who head to the Bronx with a 2-0 lead against the Minnesota Twins.

Each win answered some very big questions looming all around in Yankee Universe.

With so many unknowns, Game one was a must win for New York because the team’s only proven ace CC Sabathia was on the mound. If the Yankees lost with Sabathia pitching things could have gotten ugly.

Well, the Yankees got the win on Wednesday night in Minnesota, and Sabathia wasn’t even at his sharpest.

So how did the team manage the win?

As a whole, the team played all around solid baseball, and that will always win in October.

Anyone who was afraid that Andy Pettitte forgot how to pitch, you are not worried any longer.

Pettitte pitched great, as he always does in the postseason. Both his off-speed and breaking ball pitches were on target, like he had not missed a beat.  Everyone discounted Pettitte’s exceptional career and experience way to fast, which will never happen again.

Everyone knows the ALDS is not even close to finished yet. Yankees fans are hoping that Mariano Rivera will get that final over the weekend, but until than thinking any further than Saturday would be absurd.

All eight postseason teams are first-rate, have talent beyond comprehension, and each well deserves and rightly earned to play in October.

One thing I continually re-learn during each postseason, is that critiquing October baseball continually reminds us that a team’s future is not in the past.

There are no excuses in this postseason that is for sure.

“Don’t talk to me about aesthetics or tradition. Talk to me about what sells and what’s good right now. And what the American people like is to think the underdog still has a chance.”

-George Steinbrenner, “the Boss”

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New York Yankees: Four Days, Three Wins, One Surreal Goodbye and They’re Hot

Posted by on 22 September 2010, 7:24 pm

Who’s the hottest team in MLB right now?

The answer is the New York Yankees.

Anyone who tells you otherwise is a Yankee-hater, because you either bleed pinstripes or you burn them. It is that simple.

Looking back to just 7 days ago, things were not going so well for New York who finished 2-8 on a road trip from hell. The nickname “Bombers” was starting to refer to bombing games, instead of balls out of the park.

Lots of factors come into play regarding the Yankees resurgence of winning four of their last five games.

The first two wins were in Baltimore, but it was followed by a loss last Sunday allowing the O’s to avoid another sweep

Heading into the toughest, most critical series of the season, a four game set against the Tampa Bay Rays, Yankee fans would finally get some answers.

Nick Swisher put it in plain and simple, “I think we all pretty much know what’s at stake,” Swisher said. “Take the Rays and us and line us up, and let’s see what happens.”

What has happened is the Yankees have played all around great baseball. Not just winning, but beating the Tampa Bay Rays. Continue reading ‘New York Yankees: Four Days, Three Wins, One Surreal Goodbye and They’re Hot’ »

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